Daily Independent (Lagos)
Temitope David-Adegboye
20 December 2008
Lagos — American music sensation, Joe Thomas, will today set the garden city of Port Harcourt agog as he performs at the Miss ECOWAS Peace Pageant.
The event, which holds at the Dome, Polo Club is an initiative of 702 Productions with the endorsement and support of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Secretariat in Abuja and the Rivers State Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Joe has promised to put in his best to ensure a pleasurable time for his fans.
"I have been to Nigeria before, but you are going to see a different Joe at his best on Saturday, you must not miss this Miss ECOWAS 2008 Show," he said.
Joe was received by officials of Rivers and Zmirage Marketing and Communications (ZMC) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport around 8.30 a.m. on Thursday. He was later taken to Eko Hotel and Suites.
The velvet-voiced singer was welcomed by over 50 beautiful looking models branded with 'Miss ECOWAS 2008 welcome JOE to Nigeria' T-shirts and other stakeholders from the entertainment industry.
Despite several trips to Nigeria, Joe is still a welcome visitor among his fans whose number keeps growing. Many years of global R 'n' B domination has earned him an enviable place in history.
Born into a family of five children, Joe grew up in an environment filled with gospel music as both his parents are ministers. The Thomas family moved to Alabama when Joe was two and he grew up as an active member of the church and sang in the choir, played the guitar and eventually directed the choir. In the late 1980s, he started playing in local bands in Alabama, in the U.S.A. He eventually moved to New York City to pursue a musical career.
While working at a gospel record store and continuing his music education through a local church, he met producer Vincent Herbert and recorded a three-song demo tape. He signed to Polygram/Mercury and in 1993 released his debut album, Everything. This album produced a minor hit for him and he was subsequently released from his contract. Joe also had a song called 'All the Things' that appeared on the soundtrack to Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. This song was the only smash hit from the entire album.
Joe then signed to Jive Records for his 1997 album, All That I Am. This proved to be his breakthrough album, reaching Number 13 on the Billboard 200 album charts and Number 4 on the R 'n' B charts. The hit singles from this album included the Top 5 R 'n' B/Top 20 pop hit 'All the Things Your Man Won't Do,' the Top 5 R 'n' B/Top 40 pop hit 'Don't Wanna Be a Player' and 'The Love Scene.'
'Don't Wanna Be a Player,' produced by Rodney Jerkins, was also featured on the Booty Call soundtrack, helping its success. 'All That I Am' eventually went platinum in the U.S.
Joe remixed a duet by Barry White and Tina Turner called 'Never in Your Dreams' and wrote and produced debut albums by Ideal and D»j Groove in the late 1990s. Joe also sang on the remix of Big Punisher's 'Still Not a Player', produced by Knobody, which interpolated Joe's 'Don't Wanna Be a Player.'
Joe appeared on the track 'Thank God I Found You' with Mariah Carey, which appeared on her Rainbow album. This song was released as the second single and became a Number 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. This track also became a hit internationally, helping to raise Joe's profile in other parts of the world.
Joe released his third album, My Name Is Joe, in 2000, which became his most successful album, reaching the top of the R 'n' B album charts and Number 2 on the Billboard 200, eventually selling more than three million copies. This album was also his first to make an impression outside the U.S. It featured the hit lead single 'I Wanna Know,' which also reached the top 40 in the UK and Australia. The second single released was 'Treat Her Like A Lady,' which enjoyed moderate success. The third single, the Roy 'Royalty' Hamilton and Teddy Riley-produced 'Stutter', was Number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R 'n' B/Hip-hop Tracks chart, and part of the Top 10 in the UK and top 20 in Australia. Mystikal appeared on the remix of the single, which sampled The Pharcyde's 1992 hit 'Passin' Me By,' which in turn samples Quincy Jones' Summer in the City.
The Better Days album was released in 2001, reaching number 32 on the Billboard 200 and number 4 on the R 'n' B chart. It featured two singles, 'Let's Stay Home Tonight,' which reached number 18 on the U.S. R 'n' B chart, and 'What If A Woman.'
In 2002, Joe did another collaboration with Mariah Carey. Joe joined the vocals from Kelly Price and Mariah Carey, which is the remix of the first single 'Through the Rain' from Carey's album Charmbracelet. He also recorded a track called 'God's Work,' which was not released but appeared on a sampler on Jive Records
Joe recruited high profile guests for the album released in late 2003. R. Kelly wrote the track 'More and More,' which was supposed to be on his Loveland album. G-Unit features on 'Ride Wit U.' The singles from the album included the Top 20 R 'n' B hit 'More and More,' 'Ride Wit U,' and 'Priceless.' A Double A-sided single 'More and More' and 'Ride Wit U' made the Australian top 40 in July 2004, as well as number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. And Then ... reached number 26 on the U.S. album charts and number 4 on the R 'n' B charts.
Joe's new album, Ain't Nothin' Like Me, is produced by Tim and Bob, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, The Underdogs, Cool and Dre, Timbaland, Bryan Michael Cox, The Smith Brothers (a.k.a. the Beatsmithz), and Sean Garrett. The album features guest appearances by Nas, Fabolous, Chamillionaire, Papoose, Young Buck and Tony Yayo, and was released on April 24, 2007 according to Joe's official website. The first single is 'Where You At,' written by Sean Garrett and produced by Chrisclusive featuring rapper Papoose. The video for the single has already been shot by music video director Billie Woodruff. The video for 'If I Was Your Man,' Joe's second single, has been shot and premiered across the Internet and television.
The Peace Pageant he is in town for was designed and positioned to promote the youth agenda of the ECOWAS Secretariat globally and also bring the agenda of ECOWAS closer to the average citizens in the member states. It's also aimed at channelling the average citizen in member states directly with the benefit from organisation thereby making the initiatives more relevant.
The event, which is held annually, would see a beauty queen representing one of the 15 West African countries after which one of them would be crowned ECOWAS Peace Ambassador for the sub-region for a period of one year beginning from the day of crowning.
All 15 member states of the sub-region are expected to be represented with a guest regional pageant winner from the UK in attendance to do the crowning of this year's ECOWAS Peace Ambassador.
The 15 queens representing the different West African countries are Safiyatou Badolo Isamotu, Burkinafaso; Linete Soares, Cape Verde; Sakoua Audrey Marina Fleur Fatim, Cote d'Voire; Binta Ceesay, Gambia and Anne Yaa Meriekuaah Ayim, Ghana. Others are Adama Bah, Guinea; Marcelia Silva de Oliveira, Guinea Bissau and Bendu T Parker, Liberia.
Kalifa Salia Aminata, Mali; Sara Honliasso, Niger Republic; Misel Uku, Nigeria; Fatoumata Diallo, Senegal; Kadijah Kebbay, Sierra-Leone; Madina Ilukpedju, Togo and a queen from Benin Republic complete the list.
The winner smiles home with the sum of $5,000, a 2008 Honda Civic car with ECOWAS registration plate, ECOWAS peace mantle and certificate of participation and sponsors gifts. The first runner-up gets $5,000, certificate of participation and sponsors gifts. The sum of $2,500, certificate of participation and sponsors gifts await the second runner-up. The fourth and fifth prizes are $500, certificate of participation and sponsors gift.
A statement singed by Stephen Alayande, the pageant's media officer, listed the objectives of the pageant to include: To create a platform for the continuous unification of the people of the sub-region for development and growth within a peaceful environment, to showcase the different unique cultures of the sub-region, an opportunity and a platform to groom and showcase the talent and intellect of the ladies of the sub-region, to also provide a platform to unveil and market West African fashion, art and culture to Africa and the world and to create an opportunity to market West Africa, first, to West Africans, Africans and to the World.
Alayande said the 2008 edition marks the beginning of a practical, social responsibility branding of the pageant. The Peace Ambassador would not only wear a beautiful crown and take home prizes but will be involved, for a period of one year, in activities to raise funds to support a social cause in her country of nationality. She will be supported by the second and third placed queens. They will be expected to raise funds from their country of nationality, a percentage of which will go into supporting the winners' social cause as well as initiating some humanitarian activity in their own countries.
The 2008 Pageant, which will also be used to market Nigeria as the host, is expected to make available a 10-minute video documentary. This will cover culture, economy, investment and tourism. Efforts are underway to ensure that this documentary is aired on national televisions of all 15 West African countries prior to the main event, streamed from the event website and also shown at all post event engagements.
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